The general manager of Howard University Hospital, a major healthcare provider for the African-American community in Washington, DC, was well aware that her staff and staff had reservations about the vaccine. And that notion frightened her.
An internal hospital survey of about 350 employees in early November found that 70% were unwilling to take the vaccine or would not take it immediately after it became available.
Even his own management team hesitated. “I’ll take it if you take it,” some members told him.
“I told him, ‘I’ll be happy to take him first,'” Jenkins told CNN.
So Jenkins received the first dose of Pfizer vaccine on December 15, before the cameras to instill confidence in the vaccine among her staff, becoming the latest professional to take such a step.
Mitigating his employees’ fears was a slow process, but Jenkins said he was optimistic.
Howard University Hospital received 725 doses of Pfizer vaccine in its first shipment, with several vaccines expected this week. So far, the hospital said more than 350 employees have received the vaccine from the nearly 2,300 employees, residents and contractors working there.
The numbers, though still low, exceeded expectations, Jenkins said. She added that the hospital expects to run out of 725 initial doses “well ahead of schedule”.
Building trust has been a slow process
Jenkins’ move is part of a large-scale effort by community leaders and health experts to combat the hesitation of the vaccine among black and Latin American people – a particularly pressing issue given the disproportionate value that the virus took over those communities.
Of those people, most said they were worried about possible side effects; half were worried that they would take Covid-19 from the vaccine; and 48% said they have a general distrust of vaccines.
Colored communities have “every right to be nervous,” Jenkins said.
“This is not an American experiment on people of color,” Jenkins said. This is a global pandemic, with a global vaccine as a solution to thousands of deaths.
Ever since she learned that so many staff at Howard University Hospital had not yet felt comfortable taking the vaccine, Jenkins said she and her team had developed questions and answers to address people’s concerns.
She also personally answered employees’ questions: could she get Covid-19 from the vaccine? What were the side effects? Was it safe for pregnant women? What about nursing mothers? But those who were trying to get pregnant?
“I felt personally responsible for helping people not only through misunderstandings, but also through misinformation and helping them through fears,” Jenkins said.
The messages continued even after he received the vaccine: Are you experiencing side effects? (Nothing but a painful arm on the first day.) But 48 hours later? (I still feel good.) But a week later? (He handles very well).
That so many black and brown people – even those she never met – come to her with their fears and worries was humiliating, Jenkins said. And it’s a reminder of how important it is for experts and professionals who look like the communities they serve to get the vaccine.
“I hope they trust us more because we can relate,” Jenkins said. “I hope they see us as one of them.”
Other black leaders did the same
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice recently sent a similar message to black Americans.
Rice also empathized with the concerns of some black Americans about the national history of racism in medicine. But he insisted he would not recommend a vaccine he did not trust.
“We’re in the rooms where it’s happening,” Rice said. “So clearly we will not go against ourselves. Because we understand how critical this is for Black America and Latin America, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.”
Morehouse is historically a black college and university, with black brothers and sisters and prominent black pastors leading national efforts to remove the stigma surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine.
Other cornerstones in black communities, such as hair salons and hair salons, have also played a key role in the conversation. Stephen Thomas, a professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland in College Park, hosts Zoom City Hall, where doctors and scientists teach hairdressers, stylists and their clients in Maryland about the vaccine.
The effort is part of the Thomas Health Advocates In-Reach and Research initiative, or HAIR, which offers cancer screenings at barbershops and hair salons.
“Hairdressers and stylists have confidence,” Thomas said. “It’s a big business, it’s a family adventure. It’s a place where black people come together in all their socioeconomic divisions.”
CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis contributed to this report.